Web application platforms include a set of web technologies and a common technical infrastructure. These web technologies are designed to be utilized by non-technical users and can provide intranet portals, document and file management, collaboration tools, social networks, enterprise search and business intelligence features. The web application platform can also support system integration, process integration and workflow automation capabilities. The web application platform can provide a complete development stack based on the web technologies and standards based application programming interfaces (APIs).
On example of a web application platform is SharePoint by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. Web application platforms such as SharePoint can provide flexible service-oriented architecture (SOA) that can be scaled to operate from a single server or up to hundreds of machines. The web application platform supports the execution of web applications. Web applications are top-level containers for content in a web application platform such as SharePoint. Web applications operate independent of one another and can be restarted independently.
Service applications are also supported by web application platforms. Service applications provide granular functionality to other web and service applications in the web application platform. Service applications can include such functions as search indexing services. A service application can exist on a single server or can be load-balanced over a set of servers in the web application platform. Service application are designed to operate independently and can be restarted and similarly independently operate.
Many companies and individuals with large amounts of stored data in their web application platform employ a backup storage system. These backup storage systems can be located local to the data to be backed up or at a remote site. The backup storage systems can be managed by the entity controlling the backup storage devices or a backup storage service company. Data can be added to the storage system at any frequency and at any amount. However, due to the complicated architecture of web application platforms, not all data is easily accessed and backed up.